


This Might Be Love

by Lady_Blackhawk



Series: The In-Between of Alex and Charlie [3]
Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: M/M, non-graphic or detailed talk of sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:35:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24952432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Blackhawk/pseuds/Lady_Blackhawk
Summary: Alex has some insecurities when it comes to sex and love, but he's not quite yet ready to fully have a conversation with Charlie. So he talks to his mom, then sort-of talks to Charlie, and Charlie realizes that Alex might love him too.
Relationships: Charlie St. George/Alex Standall
Series: The In-Between of Alex and Charlie [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1796161
Comments: 20
Kudos: 95





	This Might Be Love

There’s only a week left before Prom and Alex was trying his best not to freak out about…well, everything. Charlie had asked him to prom and that was…he had no words for it. But he caught sight of his mom’s wide grin and soft eyes when he had practically floated home after school.

“You look extra happy today,” she noted. “Something good happened at school?”

“Actually yeah,” Alex replied, sitting down at the counter. “Uh…Charlie asked me to go to prom with him.”

“That’s wonderful,” she reached over and kissed his head. “Do you want to get a tux?”

“Wait. I need to wear a tux?” exclaimed her son.

“Most people do,” Carolyn said, her voice sweet. “But you don’t have to. We could get you a new suit instead, or see what you have in your closet.” Alex calmed down a smidge. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

“Will you help?”

Carolyn smiled and nodded and followed Alex to his room. He had a couple of suits but they were gray, brown, black, none of them screamed prom or happiness.

“I think I’ve been to enough funerals that…maybe getting something in a brighter color wouldn’t be bad.”

“Well, I think we can probably find you something,” Carolyn, “Maybe something to bring out your eyes. Really make Charlie all weak in the knees.”

Alex blushed. “Mom!”

“Oh, don’t start,” she pulled him into a hug. “You’re so grown up! So, you want to go get you a suit? We could go now and still be back in time for dinner?”

“Yeah, let’s do it!”

When they drove to Macy’s for his suit, Alex silently looked out the window, thinking about prom, the stories his parents had told him…and the one, in particular, his Dad had left something out about.

“Hey Mom… can I ask you a question?”

“Of course, honey, you can ask me anything.” She turned the corner to get onto the highway.

“Is it true what they say about prom night that…there’s more than goes on than…you know, just prom?”

Carolyn eyed him for a split second before her eyes returned to the highway.

“Well, that depends. Do you mean after-parties, or something else?” Alex blushed. “You sure this is a conversation you want to have with me and not your dad?”

“You’re a nurse, aren’t you?”

“I’m your mother first,” Carolyn said.

“It’s too awkward a conversation to have with Dad. I’m still traumatized after the sex talk, he had with me.”

Carolyn nodded in understanding and took the exit towards the mall. “Well, if it’s what I think you’re asking about, the answer is, yeah, sometimes people of my generation would book a hotel, have sex. My friend Marcy said it was romantic for her. But my date and I weren't at that stage yet...” Alex’s face changed as though he was going to throw up as the car pulled into the parking lot. “But that doesn’t mean it’s the right fit for you. –Charlie isn’t pressuring you…is he?” 

“G-d no, of course not,” Alex said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “He wouldn’t do that…it’s just…” he bit his lip. “…is it different when the person you might love, might love you back?”

Carolyn parked the car and turned to look at him. “Honey, is this…is this about Jessica?”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought this up, it’s too weird.” She turned the car off and removed her seatbelt to face her son.

“Yes, it’s a little weird, but that’s ok. I’m your mom, sometimes weird conversations are in the job description. Remember when you were five and were convinced you were an alien from outer space after reading those Superman comics?” Alex nodded. “So, you want to tell me what’s going on?”

“I just…I think…I thought I loved Jessica, but…I don’t think I was in love with her. I think I needed to believe I did like I loved the idea of it all. But with Charlie…it’s like the world stops, and my brain stops, and I can just be in the now.” Carolyn watched him happily.

“Well, it sounds like this is a conversation you should have with Charlie. Especially If, and correct me if I’m wrong, you aren’t ready to take that step, yet.”

“Yeah you’re right,” Alex replied and they got out of the car. “Thanks, Mom.”

“But to answer your question,” replied Carolyn draping her purse over her shoulder. “It is different when the person you love, loves you too.” She wrapped her arm around him. “Now let’s get you a suit.”

They got Alex a pretty awesome suit and even a cool new shirt to go under it. It wasn’t a tux, but he wasn’t a tux kind of guy. Alex was right, he had worn too much black in his life an if this thing with Charlie was a chance at the next step and do something different, and better, then maybe something brighten a fun occasion was needed. It took his mind off things, letting his mother fuss a little over something fun as opposed to his health, or sanity.

He texted Charlie and got an excited response to see his boyfriend. They were boyfriends now, right? Alex was allowed to use the term boyfriend.

Carolyn dropped him off and took the suit home, while Alex knocked on Charlie’s door.

The door opened and before Charlie was even in sight, Alex caught a whiff of fresh cookies on the counter.

“Do you only ever bake cookies?” Alex asked, kissing Charlie.

“Wait until your birthday and find out,” Charlie replied with a wink.

Charlie’s house was large for two people, he supposed. It was an open concept house, where the living room, dining room, and kitchen were one large area. It was a modest house, built in the 1980s, but had since been renovated with new cabinets, and a shiny gas stove, a full pantry, and a crockpot set and working.

“You cook too?”

“Well yeah, my dad works a lot, and a kid can only eat so much Pizza.” Charlie supplied. “Oh, I wanted to tell you. My dad said I could get a limo, so I figured, if you want, we can have the whole thing to ourselves, or we could invite a couple of people. I know Taylor has a date. But I think Luke and Diego are going stag.” 

“Um…wow! That sounds…nice actually. Maybe we could invite Clay? I don’t think he has a date.”

“Tyler and Estella too.” Suggested Charlie and Alex nodded, looking out at the area he was in as if someone had called him away. “Alex, you ok?”

“Um...yeah…I’m fine. It’s just…you asked if…one day we could do something other than sleep…and…I’m not…I am…”

“Hey, hey.” Charlie was right next to him instantly, grabbing his hand. “It’s ok if you’re not ready. It’s a big step.”

“Right…but that’s the thing. It wouldn’t necessarily be my first time…granted it would be my first time with a guy. But...” Alex sighed. There’s a lot he wants to say. He wants to tell him how he felt used by Jessica, how he had so much anger, and thought sex was the way to relieve it, at one point, how he thought for so long that he was broken and nobody would want him. He should tell Charlie that he knows that sleeping with him will be different from everything else. He just can’t quite articulate all of that. “I just…I don’t want it to change anything between us and I don’t want you to see me differently either if…if it doesn’t quite go as planned.”

“Well as far as I know,” Charlie replied with a soft kiss to Alex’s nose. “it never goes as planned. But that’s ok. That doesn’t matter to me. You matter! So, whenever we get there, and however it goes, it won’t change how I feel about you. That I can promise.”

Alex bit his lip. There’s more that needs to be said, but maybe now isn’t the right time. He also didn’t think Charlie could make that promise, but he wasn’t about to argue.

“So…you’re ok if we…maybe wait a little longer before…we take that step?”

“Of course,” Charlie replied, “There’s no rush.”

“Granted that doesn’t mean…we can’t still make out…” Alex said feigning an innocent look. Charlie laughed and kissing his boyfriend.

The door opened a moment later. “Charlie, I’m home.” The two jumped apart. “And here I thought you’d be bored to tears by yourself.”

“Um…hi Dad,” Charlie said laughing nervously. “This is my boyfriend, Alex.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Alex,”

“Uh…um…it’s nice to meet you too Mr. St. George.”

“Please, call me Henry.” He extended his hand for Alex to shake. “Did you tell him?” Mr. St. George asked of his son.

“He means the limo,” Charlie replied to Alex. “And yeah, I did.”

“What do you have cooking in the crockpot?”

“Beef Stroganoff…which should be done in about a half-hour.” Charlie quickly checked the timer. “Any other news about prom?”

“Actually yes,” Mr. St. George said, dropping his keys and phone on the counter. “Deputy Standall and Mrs. Jensen have agreed to chaperone as well as your principal and Dean, and a few other parents.”

“Are you going to be there?”

“Only for the set-up. The chaperones will arrive early to oversee set-up and they’ll be on hand in case anything goes wrong. They’re pretty committed to staying back, and keeping the drinks from getting spiked.”

“I think my dad is more excited for this than I am,” replied Alex.

“Do you want to stay for dinner, Alex?” Mr. St. George asked. Alex looked to Charlie who nodded.

“Sounds good,” Alex replied, “I’ll just text my mom.”

It turned out Charlie was the complete package. He was charming, he was kind and sweet, and a literal ray of sunshine. Now on top of everything else, Alex found out that Charlie can cook. The Beef Stroganoff Charlie had made in the crockpot was truly amazing and Charlie’s Dad was a pretty cool guy. He asked them about how school was going since the incident, how the culture was progressing. He genuinely cared and listened.

“Charlie tells me you’re graduating,” said Mr. St. George. “Are you going to college or taking a year off?”

“College,” explained Alex. “I’m going to Berkley in the fall. I’ll probably end up studying history. But I’m honestly not quite sure yet.”

“Don’t stress over it,” Mr. St. George said, sipping a glass of wine. “When I was in college, I switched my major maybe five times and still ended up going into real-estate when I have a degree, oddly enough in English Literature. Everything changes and then the job market, so you never know where the world can take you.”

“That’s great advice Mr.…Henry,” Alex replied to him. “We’re told far too often that we need to have our future figured out. I barely have my current life figured out.”

“That’s life, kid.” Mr. St. George said, leaning back. “But it’s good that you recognize that now. It’ll make being an adult slightly better.”

They finished dinner and Charlie’s dad volunteered to do the dishes so that Charlie could drive Alex home.

“Your Dad’s really nice,”

“Yeah, he’s pretty cool and he really liked you?”

Charlie and Alex both shared a smile as they got in the car. “I’m gonna text Clay to see if he’ll join us on prom night…my mom helped me pick out a new suit.”

“I can’t wait to see that.” Alex looked at Charlie’s sweet grin as he pulled out of the garage. “Did Justin say if he’s going to prom?”

“You would know better than I do. I haven’t heard anything.”

Charlie shrugged as they turned the corner. On the ride back they listened to music, but their conversation from earlier kept replaying in Alex’s head.

Charlie pulls into the Standall driveway and parks the car. “You ok?” Alex nodded absentmindedly.

“There’s a lot I want to say, and tell you how amazing you are and how much I like you…I just…don’t quite know how to say it all.” And damn Charlie because he doesn’t miss a beat.

“That’s ok. Whenever you’re ready…for whatever you’re ready, I’ll be here and I’m not going anywhere. Promise.”

Alex cupped Charlie's face in his hands and kissed him deeply.

“You’re amazing Charlie,” Alex said softly and got out of the car. “I’ll see you later.”

Charlie watched to make sure Alex got inside ok before he began heading home himself. He knew he was in love with Alex a while ago. But now, as he drove back to his house, he had a nagging suspicion that Alex loved him too.

**Author's Note:**

> Clay's comment about Charlie trying something made no sense to me. I think Alex has a lot of insecurities and that's probably what was actually going on. I wanted to tackle at least in a Teen Rated level some of what Alex might have been going through. I may add an M-rated version too.


End file.
